These Engines Are Expected to Disappear by 2026, But BMW M Has Different Intentions | Carscoops

      BMW M's inline-six and V8 engines will continue to be produced even with the implementation of stricter Euro 7 emissions regulations set to begin next year.

      The company's CEO, Frank van Meel, stated that they will not downsize their engines in order to comply with the new regulations. He confirmed that the existing turbocharged inline-six and V8 engines will remain intact, with no plans for detuning them to meet the upcoming Euro 7 standards, which will take effect in late 2026.

      Over the years, increasingly stringent emissions regulations have led to the discontinuation of several notable performance engines, including the S65 V8 from the E92 M3. However, BMW M's leader expressed confidence that their current engine lineup will not be included in that unfortunate trend, at least for the foreseeable future.

      While addressing the new Euro 7 emissions standards and their impact on BMW M's engines, van Meel assured an Autocar reporter that the brand's turbocharged inline-six and V8 units would not be subject to power reductions or downsizing. He remarked, “I couldn’t imagine putting a four-cylinder in an M5.”

      The Euro 7 regulations will be enforced starting November 2026, having been delayed from this year. While the new regulations are not as severe as originally proposed, they present a challenge to manufacturers. Although the allowable levels of harmful exhaust emissions remain the same as those under Euro 6, vehicles must now comply with these standards in a broader range of scenarios, which aims to more accurately mirror real-world driving conditions.

      Additionally, cars must adhere to these standards for a duration of 10 years and over a mileage of 124,000 miles (200,000 km), which doubles the previous requirements. This means that engineers must now pay even closer attention to maintaining a Lambda 1, where the fuel-to-air ratio is most efficient.

      As van Meel explained to Autocar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, "Normally, if you are in high-performance situations, you cool using the fuel. With Euro 7, that’s impossible, so you need to find different ways of avoiding temperature buildup."

      He added, "Of course you can [reduce] performance to avoid this temperature increase, but you don’t want to – that’s where we started."

      Vehicles sold in the United States are not obligated to comply with European emissions standards since the U.S. has its own regulations. However, the European market is significant enough that automakers, particularly European ones like BMW M, may prefer to manufacture their vehicles in accordance with EU standards rather than incur the costs of creating a separate line for the U.S. market.

      This is evident in the discontinuation of manual transmissions for the Golf GTI and R models, a decision made prior to the adjustment of Euro 7 standards. VW chose to plan for a worst-case scenario and did not reverse that decision when the anticipated changes turned out to be less severe.